Counting mechanism.



No. 738,962. PATENTED sLPT.'15,-19o3.` G. A. WALL.

` COUNTING MEGHANISM.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Dnc. 13. 1899.

mmm g m l-MHUI nml" ' om cams vzjrsns cp.. pum m Vss UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

GEORGE AUGUSTUS WALL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

COUNTING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 738,962, dated September 15, 1903.

Application iiled December 13, 1899. Serial No. 740,169. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it puny concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE AUGUSTUS VALL, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improved Counting Mechanism, of which the following is a specication, reference being` had to 'the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of my improved counting mechanism. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. 3 is a front view of the counting mechanism shown in Figs. l

and 2. Fig. d is a detail of one of the dials.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 of Fig. 4. Figs.

(i and 7 are details hereinafter referred to.

My invention has for its objectto construct a counting` mechanism in which each dial may be disengaged from its operating mechanism and quickly returned to its initial or starting position from any other position it may occupy; and my invention in its best form is a counting mechanism comprising in its construction a dial which is loaded so that when the dial is unrestrained the load will cause it to take one definite position on its axis, and means for operating the dial step by step adapted to be disengaged from the dial preparatory to returning the dial to Zero and to engage the dial when the dial is at zero.

lThe dials A A A2 A5 are each mounted to turn loosely on a rod b, supported at its ends in the sides of frame B. Gears d a a2 are fast to dials A A A2 and engage, respectively, gears d d d2 on sleeves ff f 2,' which are loose on a second rod F, which is also supported at its'ends in the sides of frame B.

The sleeves ff f2 carry disks g g g2, each with a tooth, (see Fig. 7), which engages the notches in wheels h 7i h2, fast to dials A A2 A3.

Fast to dial A is a ratchet-wheel a8, which is engaged by one end of a pawl a, and the other end of pawl a9 is pivotally connected with an arm d10 of a rock-shaft a, and rockshaft all carries armature a of magnet ci, so that when magnet L13 is energized pawl L9 is moved in one direction and partially rotates dial A. Spring com moves pawl a9 in the opposite direction when the magnet releases its armature. Spring-pawl am, fast on rockshaft J, serves to prevent dial A'from turning back when pawl a is retracted by spring am. Each dial is loaded by a weight, so that when the di'al is unrestrained it will assume a deii nite position on rod o and display the zero character, so that when all of the dials are freed they will all return automatically to their Zero position, and in order to free the dials the sleevesff f2 are mounted to slide on rod F, so that disks g g g2 may be moved sidewise into and out of engagement with wheels 7L 7L h2. As ameans for conveniently moving all of the sleeves at one time I have shown a yoke K, which is mounted at its ends to slide on rod F and is connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 7o, pivoted to a standard k, extending up from the base of frame B, and the other arm of lever 7o is connected by a pin-and-slot connection with the inner end of plunger k2, so that plunger k2 may be moved in one direction by hand to move yoke K and sleeves f f f2 lengthwise of rod F, while spring 7c3 moves those parts in the opposite direction.

It is necessary that the Wheels 7i 71. h2 should be in proper relation with disks g g g2 when the latterv are moved to rengage the wheels, in order that the disks and wheels will then come into proper mesh, and to, accomplish this dials A' A2 A3 each has a boss a4, formed with flattened sides, engaged by spring a5, fast to rock-shaft J, j ournaled at its ends inthe sides of frame B and connected by ears j with plunger 7a2. Springpawl a acts on ratchet-wheel as to insure the correct position of dial A. V

The purpose of the pin-and-.slot connection between bell-crank 7o and plunger 7a2 is to provide lost m'otion between the plunger k2 and yoke K, so that when the plunger is pushed inwardly spring-pawl @15 and springs Va5 will be moved out of engagement with their respective dials before yoke K is operated and so that when plunger 7a2 is moved in the opposite direction springs a5 and L15 will be moved into engagement with their respective dials before yoke K is moved in the opposite gliection to rengage disks g g g2 and wheels L i h2.

Projecting from the dials A A A2 A3 are pins a6, which are each so located that should its dial occupy the position shown in Fig. 6, with the weight oc balanced above the axis of the dial, when plunger 7a2 is operated the pin c will be in the path of its spring a5 or spring- Ico pawl @15, which will engage the pin and partially rotate the dial enough to move the weight a; out of balance, so that the force of gravity will return the dial to its zero position.

The operation is as follows: When the circuit through magnet a is closed, pawl a9 moves ratchet as and dial A one step. After dial A has moved nine steps and while moving the tenth step it moves dial A one step through gears d and d, sleeve f, disk g, and wheel 7i, fast to dial A, and the peculiar construction of disk g and wheel h prevents all danger of dial A being moved too little or too much and also holds dial A motionless until disk g has moved nine additional steps, when the tooth on disk g engages another notch in wheel h and moves wheel h and dial A another step. This is also a feature of my invention,for, although disk g and its wheel 7L are well known and in common use, yet I am the first to combine them with the dial of a and A3.

counting mechanism, and this feature of my invention is especially important where the dials are actuated suddenly or are for any/ reason liable to move too' much or too little or to be moved when they ought not to movethat is to say, the disks g g g2 and wheels 7i h/ h2 keep the dials A A2 A3in almost perfect relation each to the others and to dial A and not only prevent miscounting, but also keep the visible characters on the dial in line, and, moreover, the disengagement and rengagement of disks g g g2 and wheels 7i h' h2 can be readily effected. When pawl di engages one of the teeth of ratchet d8, the motion of ratchet d8 on its axis carries pawl a away from stop am and toward stop a, and any excess motion of ratchet as and its dial A is prevented by stop a, as will be clear from Fig. 2. Spring-pawl am also aids in causing dial A to move the proper distance at each step and in holding dial A in exact relation with the other dials. After dial A has moved ten steps and caused dial A to move one step dial Al remains stationary and is held in exact relation to the other dials by its wheel 7L and disk g and gears d d d2 and a a a2 until dial A has made nine more steps; but when dial Amakes its second tenth step dial A' is moved a second step by the tooth on disk g engaging the second notch in wheel 7i, and this is the operation until dial A is about to complete its tenth revolution, when dial A is caused to complete one revolution and dial A2 is at the same time moved one step, and this will be plain without further description as to dials A2 Vhen the dials A A/ A2 A3 indicate the highest number desired, it is necessary that the dials be reset each to zero, and this is done by pressing plunger k2. The first portion of the inward motion of that plunger carries springpawl C015 and spring d5 away from ratchet d8 and bosses d4 and thefurther inward motion of plunger k2 disengages disks g g g2 from wheels h h 7b2 by moving yoke K and sliding sleeves ff f2 on rod F. This leaves dials AA A2 A3 free to be moved each to its zero position, and each of them falls (when loaded, which is the preferred means of moving the dials) to that position unless its center of gravity happens to be vertically over the axis of rod I); lbut each dial which happens to be so balanced is moved out of balance by the action of pawl al? or spring a5 on pins (L6-that is, when plunger k2 is pressed in, the dials (in the best form of my invention) are each returned to its zero position approximately by force of gravity, and when plunger 7a2 is released its spring 7c3 moves it in the opposite direction, and during the first part of the return motion of plunger 7a2 yoke K remains stationary, but rock-shaft J makes its return stroke and brings the dials into their exact zero positions, so that when yoke K is moved during the latter part of the return motion of plunger k2 the disks g g g2 will each rengage and relock its wheel h h h2 and the tooth on each disk g g g2 will occupy its proper angular relation to the notches in its wheel h h h2. This is for the reason that when the dials fall each to its zero position, each dial except A3, acting through its gear a, a', or a2 and through the gears d, d', or d2, moves its sleeve fff2, and thereby the angular motion of each disk g g g2 and its sleeve ff f2 is the same as the angular motion of the dials and the wheels h 71, h2, each fast to its dial.

It will now be clear that the main feature of my invention is disengaging the dials each from its operating mechanism in order that the dial may be set to zero and rengaging the dial with its operating mechanism when the dial is set to zero. The loaded'dial and the combination of the primary dial with its secondary by means of a disk with one tooth which locks its wheel, except when the single tooth engages a notch in the wheel, are also important features of my invention; but it will be obvious that each one of these three may be used independently of the others' and that their combination is also in itself another important feature of my invention.

What I'claim as my invention is- 1. In a counting mechanism the combination of a dial whose center of gravity is disposed to cause the dial to take one deiinite position on its supporting-rod; and means to automatically move the dial on its axis when its center of gravity is in vertical alinement over the axis of its supporting-rod.

2. In a counting mechanism the combination of a loaded dial; means for moving that dial slightly when the load happens to be balanced over the axis of the dial; means for operating the dial step by step; and means to disengage and rengage the operating means.

GEORGE AUGUSTUS 'WALL Witnesses: v Y

GILMAN E. Jorr, JOHN H. LUTHER.

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